Apr 29, 2010

Let me say this again...there isn't a better cup of coffee in West Michigan than Madcap coffee. Just like one's grandmother putting so much "love" into her pasta and beans or Italian meatballs and marinara, each cup of Madcap coffee goes through that same type of affection. To prove Madcap's commitment to having relationships with every coffee farmer they buy beans from, Madcap's Chad Morton, shares with us some of the photos and experiences during their last trip to Costa Rica.

Chad reassures me that the journey is far from luxury travel. From puddle jumpers to long, bumpy jeep rides to sleeping in hostels in rural communities with animals wandering just outside your window. But the journey is worth the coffee bag with every farmer's name stamped on the package of Madcap coffee. Personally knowing the hand that picked the beans and the work that went into processing each bag of coffee is truly the magic behind the movement at Madcap.

Chad's notes on the photo above: "inspecting parchment" coffees are put onto a cement patio for drying. at this stage, the coffee seed has a paper like membrane surrounding it, called parchment. when the coffee is dried to point, it will be sent to a dry mill, where the parchment will be removed, leaving only the green coffee bean.

The cupping table - cupping coffee is how we start the process of picking the coffees we want to purchase. at this table, there were 12 different micro lots we were evaluating. cupping is a way to determine the natural flavor character potential a coffee possesses.

Madcap barista, Laura, Chad and farmer Alvaro. This was the first time ever meeting in person with alvaro, a costa rican farmer i have been working with for two years. Watch for his coffee to be at our shop next season.

As Chad and Laura were traveling to some of their farms, they happened to discover Herbazu Farm, one of the most progressive, quality driven micro mills in Costa Rica.